Chapter 1 (Deflections)
Present Day... Shadows danced across the roof tops as the full moon beamed down on the World of the Living. The skylights created a spectacle below, the quiet and serene atmosphere of the night almost intoxicating. The two shadows continued to move about, one chasing after the other. From afar, it looked like an elegant display, the lights shimmering behind them. And then that serenity was broken. "Alright!" A boisterous cry broke the silence, as an auburn haired man flew through the air. "Captain!" A woman's voice this time, scolded her companion, "You idiot!" There was a loud, earth shaking roar and the crash of a building. "Come on, Lieutenant!" The man smirked, "You're to dense! It's not every day you get to fight a hollow of this nature!" "Oh yeah, it's not every day I almost get to die," she hissed, watching her superior swing his sword at a grotesque beast. It's large body was deformed, and almost demonic in appearance. Its skull was completely exposed, and a massive hole punctured its chest. She watched on with disgust, squatting on the roof of a building with her sword draped across her shoulders. "Ashirū!" The Captain hollered, "Come on!" He cackled with amusement, swinging his blade and causing a cascade of bronze to barrel into the creature. It melded to its flesh like rust, tainting its skin and picking apart its cells. Ashirū rolled her eyes, "Show off..." The hollow let out a bellowing cry, its voice shaking the terrain around them. She tilted her head to the side, furrowing her brow as she watched with disdain. Captain Takāo is such a hothead, she frowned. How did I even get stuck with his ass again? The Captain's body was suddenly thrown across the area and into a building, though he was laughing all the while. Ashirū grimaced, standing up and holding her Zanpakutō as her side. There was a loud crash as glass shattered, and concrete cracked from the impact, but her Captain still stood almost unharmed. "Yeah!" His amber eyes gleamed with adrenaline, "Lets do that again!" "How old are you again?" Ashirū mumbled, walking across the roof casually, stopping at the edge to look down at him, "Take this seriously, dumbass! I'm not picking up the pieces if you're slaughtered!" Captain Takāo looked up at his Lieutenant with a pout, sticking out his bottom lip for 'dramatic effect'. The hollow bellowed again, its flesh bubbling around the previous wound made from the Captain's Zanpakutō. "You are such a party pooper," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You've been hanging around Captain Seyama for far to long." "No, I just have some common sense," she pointed to her head. "Clearly something that you don't have." He rolled his eyes, readying his blade for another blow. Pushing off the ground, he appeared in front of the monster within seconds. Ashirū rested her hand on her hip, sighing heavily. Another cascade of rust cut across the beast's chest while Captain Takāo's triumphant cry split the sky. The moment was interrupted as his body was thrown, this time flying past Ashirū. She turned her head, eyes wide as he tumbled, skidding on his feet as he tried to regain balance. Another roar echoed around them, causing a whirlwind to send Ashirū back. She landed on top of her Captain with a grunt, shaking her hand as she slowly lifted herself up. "Why hello there," Takāo smirked, looking up at her. "Keep this up and I'll kill you myself," she mumbled, standing up while extended a hand out. He accepted the gesture, allowing her to haul him to his feet. "Why do you hate me so much?" He tilted his head, gaze locked on the younger woman in front of him. Ashirū rolled her eyes, brushing back her hair with a huff. Takāo opened his mouth to speak again before he lunged forward. His arm wrapped around her waist as he pushed her forward, "Look out!" The building crumbled as they flew through the air, the hollow's arm crashing down in their direction. "You idiot!" Ashirū screeched. They landed on the other side, dirt and dried blood staining their skin. Ashirū turned, throwing a punch into the side of her Captain's head. He staggered to the side, rubbing his face, "What was that for!?" There was another loud bellow. Ashirū cursed under her breath, ignoring the ignorance of her superior before flash stepping into the air. She threw herself towards the hollow, jabbing her Zanpakutō into its chest. Her sword crystallized as she scaled the creature, her sword cutting it down the middle. Ice formed on its body, slowly its movements and stopping the flow of blood. Its body brittle from the cold and infected with the Captain's Zanpakutō, fell as it was cut clean in half. Ashirū sheathed her sword, walking to her Captain with a scowl. "There, done." She jabbed his chest with a finger, "I swear to God, every time I'm with you, you almost get us killed." Shoving his shoulder, she walked off while leaving him behind. "And where are you going? The Senkaimon's that way!" "Anywhere away from you, Captain." Takāo frowned, crossing his arms, "C'mon Lieutenant, I thought I told you to just call me Riēko." He tried to move the conversation in a different direction, "First name basis, ya know?" "I ain't calling you jackshit," Ashirū gazed at him over her shoulder. "Other than dumbass." He sighed, combing his fingers through his hair. He brought his hand to his face, peering between his fingers quietly. "Fine, I'm sorry. Okay?" He took a cautious step forward, lightly resting a hand on her shoulder, "I'll be more careful next time." "That's exactly what you said last time," she sighed, shrugging him off. "I don't hate you, I just detest you." "That's the same thing..." They walked side by side, unseen by the living eye. They were known as the dragons of Squad Thirteen, always butting heads and at the center of some sort of argument. Of course, they weren't really dragons. The name came from their Zanpakutōs, Ryūjin Toketsū and Kinzokūmarū. "The rate of hollows has been skyrocketing lately," Riēko spoke up. "Some of them even almost human in nature." "So, arrancar." Ashirū kept her gaze forward, "You sound like we've never fought them before." "No, I mean like, zombies." The Lieutenant gave her Captain a dumbfounded look. Her eyes scrunched slightly as she tried to register what he was saying, "Wh—? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, hollows aren't zombies." He shrugged, "Squad Twelve found a body with both hollow and human properties a few weeks ago." Ashirū let him walk past her, gaze fixated on his broad back. "So a visored." "Who knows?" Both continued to walk through the sleeping city. Captain Takāo took out his Denreishinki, a phone shaped device designed to track hollows. “There’s nothing else in the area,” he concluded. “We can head home.” “Oh thank God,” Ashirū muttered, flash stepping away and out of sight.